WORCESTER— While it would seem there is at least one bank, Dunkin, pizza place and nail salon in every neighborhood, Unibank reminds us that there currently is no retail bank in the Canal District.
UniBank is opening a new full-service branch at The Revington, right across from Polar Park. With the lease recently signed for 1 Green Island Boulevard, they are “excited to bring banking services to this rapidly growing neighborhood that currently doesn’t have a retail bank.”
“UniBank has served as a community asset since 1870,” Mike Welch, the bank’s CEO, told the Worcester Guardian. “We take seriously our role as a mutual bank. We are here to serve the community. The Canal District has been without a physical bank for more than a decade, and has never been considered over banked. Worcester is very much a neighborhood city.”
Welch said that Unibank helped to fund the development and building of the Revington, which was the first of the Polar Park “initiative.”
The Canal District continues to buzz with new developments, joining anchors Polar Park, the Worcester Public Market, and the revamp of Kelley Square. New apartment projects continue to pop up, which district champions say are attracting thousands of new residents, shoppers, diners, and baseball fans to the neighborhood.
“Worcester is continuing to experience fast-paced growth, both in population and business expansions,” Welch said in a statement. “Because of this on-going trend, we thoughtfully decided to open a new full-service branch to expound on our deep relationships with the Worcester community. Additionally, we selected a location in the city that is investing in the future of the Canal District businesses and consumers, and we could not be prouder to serve them with our full suite of convenient financial solutions as well as the robust non-profit community.”
Welch added that his team at Madison Properties were among the early visionaries who invested significantly in the area, and were instrumental in the revitalization of the district.
Denis Dowdle, president of Madison Properties, said in a press release: “We are delighted to welcome UniBank to our development in the Ballpark District. UniBank is a local community bank that embodies the strength and resolve of Worcester, and will be a perfect fit for this neighborhood – both residential and business. UniBank matches up well with the revitalization of the Ballpark District.”
UniBank, too, was one of the original 21 founding partners who helping bring the Worcester Red Sox (WooSox) to the city.
“We were thrilled to partner with the city and other businesses to make that early investment aiding our community in the most significant urban revitalization project in Worcester’s history,” he said in a statement. “Now, we are excited to locate a branch at the heart of the action.”
Now the largest bank headquartered in Central Massachusetts, that “means something,” Welch told the Guardian, adding, “in large part, Worcester remains a city of local people and local businesses. When it comes to getting things done, we rely on our neighbors and the people, and leaders, who live in the community.”
The bank is expected to open at the Revington in the fall, if everything goes as planned.
“This will be a natural addition to a growing residential and commercial neighborhood in a vibrant part of the city,” said Welch.
Charlene Arsenault can be reached at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org
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